Linda Manz: Film Community Remembers ‘Days of Heaven’ Star, Dead at 58
Linda Manz, the actress best known for her role in “Days in Heaven” as well as “Out of the Blue” and “Gummo,” died August 14 at the age of 58. Manz had been battling lung cancer and pneumonia. She leaves behind her husband, camera operator Bobby Guthrie, as well as two sons and three grandchildren.
A GoFundMe page has been set up by her son, Michael Guthrie, to cover funeral expenses. “Linda was a loving wife, a caring mom, a wonderful grandma and a great friend who was loved by many,” Guthrie said on the GoFundMe. See what others from the film community had to say on social media below.
Manz, who was born in 1961, provided the groundbreaking, improvised narration for Terrence Malick’s “Days of Heaven,” starring in the film at the age of 15. She also starred in Philip Kaufman’s 1979 “The Wanderers,” and many years later, had a small role in David Fincher’s 1979 “The Game.” Her “Wanderers” co-star Ken Wahl shared Polaroids of Manz from the set of the film on Facebook.
Very sad to see reports on Facebook of the death of Linda Manz, whose work in (and narration of) Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven is one of those those performances that, as soon as you see it, you know will stay with you forever.
— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) August 15, 2020
I can count on two hands the movies that mean as much to me as DAYS OF HEAVEN, & on *one* the performances and scenes that mean as much as Linda Manz’s and this final grace note. I’m so sad she’s gone. Just barely of this Earth. https://t.co/Wo8LCITlYh
— Stephen Cone (@stephendcone) August 15, 2020
I’m hearing that Linda Manz passed away. Best remembered for her performance and naturalistic narration in DAYS OF HEAVEN. This sudden cut to her about halfway through the film at once stopped and broke my heart. RIP pic.twitter.com/6hWOxiSoxh
— Jesse Hawken (@jessehawken) August 15, 2020
“This girl, she didn’t know where she was gonna go or what she was gonna do. Maybe she’d meet up with a character. I was really hopin’ things would work out for her. She was a good friend of mine.”
Rest in peace, Linda Manz. pic.twitter.com/Dhrl7IYlDt
— Bilge Ebiri (@BilgeEbiri) August 15, 2020
Linda Manz in DAYS OF HEAVEN (1978) pic.twitter.com/sUBr3ngCLx
— Criterion Collection (@Criterion) August 15, 2020
Rest In Peace #LindaManz pic.twitter.com/ixoZNXvgnX
— natasha lyonne (@nlyonne) August 15, 2020